


Black Ops Part One: The Fall

by Scribbles97



Series: Black Ops [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Thunderbirds 2015, When aren't I mean to these boys, black ops, some dark themes later on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-07-01 10:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15772347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribbles97/pseuds/Scribbles97
Summary: Some rescues are straight forward, others less so. But by far the most difficult rescues are the ones that not everybody knows about, those that come under the Black Ops Protocol.Sometimes things aren't always as they seem.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Madilayn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madilayn/gifts).



> Written for Madilayn as the Black Ops rescues was her wonderful idea. I hope you enjoy it!

Being the only brother on the Island wasn’t a new feeling for him, but he still could say he liked it. He was surprised neither Grandma nor Kayo had made any comment about how it was usually Scott that hovered and fussed, not him. 

They were two pilots down, and had a third about to cross his flight hour limit. In his mind he had a fair excuse to be antsy. 

“John,” Virgil pleaded, “Kayo and I could--”

There was a tutt across the comm followed by a sigh. “You’re needed down there in case the tectonic shifts in the Philippines get worse.”

He folded his arms and glanced down to where Grandma was sitting back in the desk chair. Her nod was slight but the meaning was clear -- let John get on with it.

“It’s a five minute job,” John reasoned, “I’ll be there and back and have fixed the relay before Alan hits the atmosphere.” 

Virgil couldn’t complain, he knew there wasn’t any other realistic option. With a sigh he nodded and turned to the kitchen, sharing a last glance with Grandma before he headed down to the lower level.

Kayo raised an eyebrow but didn’t look up from the vegetables she was chopping, “John’s going to fix the relay then?”

“Yep,” he sighed as he sunk down on a stool. “Grandma’s monitoring comms, Alan’s on his way home.”

She set down the knife and looked to him with a small shake of her head, “It’s only for one day.”

He looked to her and sat back, holding her gaze as he gestured back towards the stairs with his arm, “Once Alan’s back, it’ll be down to you and me. International Rescue can’t cope on a skeleton crew,”

Of course, she understood the point he was making. He knew that she agreed with the argument, yet somehow she was still so calm about it all. It wasn’t that she didn’t care there were just two of them left available on the roster, but somehow she didn’t let it weigh down on her. 

“Eos is monitoring, things are looking okay at the moment, we’ll take things as they come.”

She turned to the cupboard, stretching up to reach the frying pan on the top shelf. “Now help me with dinner, I want to get it done whilst your Grandmother is busy on comms.”

He didn’t argue as he stood, knowing that when Alan got back from space and Scott and Gordon got back, the last thing they would want would be their Grandmother’s charred food. He wasn’t quite irritated enough with Scott to force him through that. 

“Space Pod, returning to Thunderbird Five.”

The announcement from the upper level was a small relief, short and sweet as had been promised. It was just a matter of time before John was back in control of the comms.

Virgil looked back to Kayo, “We’d best hurry up with this.”

She laughed as she turned on the cooker, “Hopefully John will keep her busy.”

They were both still laughing when there was a call from above them, “Virgil? Kayo? I need you up here.”

Both froze, recognising the tone of her voice. The mere sound had Virgil’s heart hammering in his chest as he dropped what he was doing. Rarely did Grandma sound scared, and he hardly wanted to think about when he had last heard her sound like she did. 

He didn’t want to think about it was how she had sounded when their father had vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

The air was close and muggy around him, too humid for sweating to be of any use in cooling him down. It wasn’t like the suit he was wearing helped either. 

 

He wasn’t sure if it was down to his younger brother wanting to impress him, or his affinity to water, but Gordon didn’t seem to be noticing the heat. 

 

Gordon’s smile was as bright as ever as he shook Marduk’s hand, “Don’t worry about the demonstration, your presentation was superb,”

 

The corners of the older man’s eyes wrinkled as he smiled to them, reminding Scott of their father’s smile. His hair was a dark shock of black though, no gray streaks or strands in sight. 

 

_ Probably fake, _ Scott thought to himself as Gordon’s comment registered. 

 

It was years of training that kept him from scoffing out loud at the words. He wasn’t meant to dismiss the demonstration, nor to praise the presentation more than he already had done. Yet the comment was made and it was something he made a mental note to warn Gordon about later. In hindsight, he knew he should have told him before. Gordon’s openness would be his own undoing if he were to ever seriously take on a business role. 

 

“I can only apologise again, Mister Tracy,” Marduk persisted, “All our other practice examples have worked flawlessly for the Rapid Precipitation Missile, I’m just sorry my team couldn’t fix the error today for you,”

 

Scott folded his arms as Gordon waved his hand in dismissal, “Another time,”

 

He nodded, turning to include Scott in the conversation as he stated, “I can only apologise for disrupting your schedule.”

 

Scott nodded in return, turning towards the car that would take them to the airport, “Yes, well, we’d best be heading off. We’ll see you again Mister Marduk.”

 

Gordon looked between them, hesitating a moment longer as Scott slipped into the back seat of the car before he waved and followed suit, taking the seat opposite his brother. 

 

When the door shut and the cool of the air conditioning took over, Scott could finally begin to relax as he loosened his tie and opened his comm. The meeting couldn’t have come at a worse time, as they had landed at least three emergencies had been called in with more at risk of being added to the list. It was simply in his nature to spend the day distracted and wondering how things were going for the rest of their family. 

 

“You were a bit short there,” Gordon murmured as he glanced to the globe Scott had brought up. 

 

“I’m not apologising for wanting to leave when Marduk couldn’t give us what we’d come specifically to see.” He paused with a frown, “John’s out in the Space Pod.”

 

“John’s a big boy,” Gordon uttered, snatching at the hologram and cutting it out, “Stop worrying so much.”

 

Scott turned to him, but didn’t move to take the hologram back, instead he raised an eyebrow, “Do you even realise how annoyed Virgil was when I told him we were going and leaving them two men down?”

 

Gordon scoffed, “It was all I heard about for the next  _ week _ !” 

 

Scott knew he should have seen the comment coming, Gordon was Virgil’s go-to for venting, of course he would have had an earful about them going away for even just a day. 

 

“I was the one that brought him around,” Gordon continued. “Told him it’d be nice to spend some quality time with my biggest bro.”

 

“Oh sure, because we don’t already spend enough quality time together when we go for Black Ops,” 

 

He knew it wasn’t Gordon’s point, knowing him, he probably meant genuinely that he had enjoyed the chance of just the two of them without the looming pressure of a life and death situation. 

 

The loud sigh as Gordon sat back had Scott looking to him again, “What?”

 

Gordon shrugged, looking out the window of the car, “Do you ever think we should tell them?”

 

Scott waited for him to look back before he shook his head, “ _ Don’t _ , alright? Just don’t get started trying to justify it to yourself.” He shifted in his seat looking back to the holopad that sat between them, “If we told them, they’ll want to be involved. If they get involved, they’ll be at risk. If they’re at risk, we’ll be distracted.”

 

It was a rehearsed answer if ever he’d heard one through his own ears. The mantra had stopped him plenty of times from overthinking the situation. He hoped it would work for Gordon, having learnt the hard way that distraction didn’t bode well in the middle of any mission. Black ops even more so than others.

 

Gordon hummed softly with a slight nod before murmuring, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

Scott shifted, glancing out the window as the car pulled into the private hangar, “Let’s go and find out what the hell they’ve got going on.”


	3. Chapter 3

To say he didn’t  _ enjoy _ taking the Pod out would be a lie, it was more to do with what taking the Pod involved. If Thunderbird Five wasn’t already in a near vicinity to where he needed to be, he would have to move the entire station, no small feat despite what other astronauts would have you believe. Then there were the comms, and whatever other missions his brothers were on. Yes, he could leave them in Grandma’s capable hands, but he disliked giving her the stress. 

 

Alan had been obviously tired though on his return from correcting the orbit of a World Council Satellite before it crashed down somewhere in Southern India. So, John had volunteered to take the mission. After all, it was easier to move his station a hundred kilometers than to bring Thunderbird Three halfway around the globe. 

 

Still, it was a relief to finally be piloting the Pod back to his home having fixed the communication relay over on the space hotel. 

 

“This is Space Pod returning to Thunderbird Five, docking maneuvers complete.”

 

“John, please disengage from Thunderbird Five.”

 

He hadn’t expected a response from anyone, perhaps least of all Eos. His announcement had simply been a formality for the record, a process they knew to adhere to. 

 

“Eos I--”

 

Her voice was a short snap as she cut him off, “I am detecting an unidentified projectile heading towards the station.  _ Disengage _ .”

 

He knew better than to argue. 

 

Replacing his helmet for good measure, he reached out to his controls to release the docking clamp. 

 

“John disengage  _ immediately _ . Collision expected imminently.”

 

He didn’t have chance to tell her he couldn’t speed up the process. The impact hit him at the same time as his station, forcing him backwards in to the harness of the Pod. His head cracked against the padded back of his helmet making him wince. It ached immediately and he knew there would be a bump there in the morning. 

 

A bump on his head was probably the least of his problems he realised as he looked forward through the window of the Pod. The blast had thrown the Pod, sending it off in an uncontrolled spin in the worst possible direction. 

 

Blowing out a long breath, he reached for his comm, “International Rescue, I have a situation, Thunderbird Five has been hit and the Space Pod is heading for the upper atmosphere.”

 

A flash caught the corner of his eye, drawing his attention long enough to catch a second explosion in the vicinity of where the station had been. His eyes widened as the debris spread across the field towards him.

 

“And I’m about to have a lot of debris to contend with.”

 

It wouldn’t be until later that he registered the change in Alan’s tone, shifting from tired to alert, “I’m on my way John, hold on!” 

 

John winced as a clang of metal reverberated through the Pod, misshaping the panel above his head. He shuddered involuntarily as he looked to the damage, another hit like that and he knew the seal would be broken. 

 

“Joh-- res--ve --wer do--n  --ix--y --rcent, all sys--ms --romised,”

 

Another jolt of cold panic ran down his spine at the realisation of what Eos was saying, his ship was compromised and the power was failing. For all his brothers teased and joked, he was protective of the AI and he had grown fond of her company on Thunderbird Five. 

 

“Isolate yourself to the memory core Eos,” He instructed, “You’ll be safe there until I can reboot you.”

 

He wished that she would have replied, but as the silence stretched out he knew that it simply wasn’t going to happen. Instead it was Alan that spoke next, his voice tight and urgent, “John, I have visual on the Pod and there’s a large chunk of debris headed straight for ya!”

 

Testing his controls, John shook his head, “I’m a sitting duck -- thrusters are dead.”

 

Alan was silent for a moment, “I’m going EVA to get you.”

 

“Alan  _ no _ , it’s too dangerous!”

 

“And when that debris hits, the Pod will disintegrate!”

 

If he had been given the chance, he would have argued that Alan’s safety was more important than his own. If there had been time he would have told him to wait until the danger had passed. He hoped if Scott had been listening he would have told their youngest brother the same thing.

 

Before he could speak, something hit him in the side. Winded, he was grateful he already had his helmet on. His mind was slow and foggy as the light of the Pod interior faded into the darkness of space. Around him the Pod was disintegrating, opening up and pushing him out to the emptiness crowded with debris. 

 

He didn’t really register he was floating, the sudden ache in his chest was taking up more of his attention. Part of him assumed the worst, but his visual display told him different, assuring him his suit was in one piece. White hot pain was searing through his arm as he reached to his sash to call for Alan. His throat burned as he tried to quash the panic that began to rise, not wanting to let on to little brother that he was afraid. 

 

It wasn’t often John had to physically look up to his little brother, and he couldn’t remember it ever happening in person. So, he had to smile as he tilted his head up to Alan as he drew him in to his side, shifting so they were both upright alongside his board. 

 

“You called for a ride?” Alan grinned. 

 

John shook his head, cradling his arm against his aching chest,  “Don’t. I think I’ve broken my ribs.”

 

He didn’t need Alan to wince, let alone his response, “That’ll hurt on reentry.”

 

Alan shifted, indicating he was ready to leave. John had to hesitate though, turning back to glance at the remains of his station. His breath hitched at the sight, and it had nothing to do with the pain in his chest. His beloved ship was a wreck, little more than a skeleton of what it had been. 

 

Alan’s hand was light on his shoulder, well practiced in the art of guiding people away that weren’t ready to leave.

 

“Come on bro, we can rebuild Five,” 

 

“Eos.”

 

He wasn’t sure why he had said it. It was little more than a statement made in a whisper. 

 

“She’ll have isolated herself,” Alan assured him and John couldn’t tell if it was false or not, “I’m worried about  _ you _ at the moment John.”

 

The comment caught John’s attention, his innate sense telling him that it wasn’t  _ okay _ for his little brother to be worried for him. He let himself be pulled towards the open hull of Thunderbird Three, accepting that his station was the least of his brothers worries. 

 

“Do you have any idea what it could’ve been?” Virgil was asking as they took their seats in the cockpit, 

 

“Was it a meteor?”

 

Alan glanced across to his co-pilot. It took John a moment to realise he was shaking his head, “Not a meteor, too much of an explosion for that.”

 

Thunderbird Five was designed specifically to  _ not _ explode, it had been one of the conditions of the build if he were to be living in the ship. On impact it was designed to break up, each compartment sealing off to reduce the chance of him being blown out into the vacuum of space. There shouldn’t have been a secondary explosion. He shouldn’t have had to dodge the projectiles his station had turned into. 

 

“Then what?” Alan asked, turning back to Virgil’s hologram. 

 

Virgil shook his head, “I dunno, but we’d best interrupt Scott and Gordon’s meeting and tell them.”

 

John winced at the simple thought of Scott finding out, “I’m fine.”

 

The look Virgil was giving him told him that he knew the exact opposite was true, “I’m not letting them find out second hand from some news outlet or another,”

 

“What’s that?”

 

The sudden silence was deafening. Scott and Gordon were meant to be in their business meeting for another hour, not listening in to the family comm unannounced and uninvited to that conversation in particular. John hadn’t really thought about what he was going to tell Scott, who would no doubt fuss regardless. If he had thought about it, he would have elected to  _ not _ tell Scott until he was home and Scott was able to see for himself that he was fine. 

 

“Hello?” Gordon called down the line, “Why are you all ignoring us?”

 

“Shouldn’t you still be in your meeting?” Virgil eventually answered, giving John a side glance across the hologram. 

 

“Nah,” Gordon sighed, “Some problem with the prototype they were gonna show us so the demo was cancelled.”

 

John wished Scott was as easily distracted.

 

“ _ What _ aren’t you telling us?”

 

John and Virgil had been teaming up against Scott for years, always for each other’s benefit. They were well practiced in the art of changing the topic or playing down issues until Scott saw them as much less than what they actually were. 

 

Alan, on the other hand, was always quick to crack under Scott’s questioning, “Something hit Thunderbird Five.”

 

“ _ Something _ ?”

 

“Well, John doesn’t think it was a meteor, but we’re not sur--”

 

“Where is John?”

 

He was quick to look up, Scott’s voice had taken on a tight edge that usually came right before panic began to set in. 

 

“I’m here,” He murmured, waving his good arm in the view of the hologram, “I’m  _ fine _ .”

 

“You won’t be when we hit the atmosphere in a minute.” Alan commented.

 

Virgil was quick to glare at their youngest brother before filling in the others, “I’ll check you out when you’re back, Brains is analysing what data he could get from the servers before Five’s systems went down, Grandma’s busy informing nearby stations to be on alert.”

 

There was a murmur of ‘FABs’ before Alan announced, “Thunderbird Three is beginning reentry.”

 

John could only close his eyes and breathe as the rocket began to judder, knowing once they were down his insistence of being fine might not ring so true.


	4. Chapter 4

Gordon snorted as the comm cut out, “Nice of them to tell us, huh?”

 

He had expected Scott to be more frustrated, to show more anger and worry like he would if he ever caught him doing something reckless or stupid. 

 

Instead Scott looked miles away, quiet contemplation an unusual look for him Gordon thought. Not that he’d complain, it was better than his quiet anger any day. 

 

“What?” Gordon asked, unable to bear the silence for long, “What are you thinking?”

 

Scott was still slow to look over to him, and he hated that he couldn’t read his face through the aviators he was wearing.

 

“Nothing,” He insisted, “Just… it doesn’t matter, probably just me being paranoid.”

 

Gordon had to scoff, Scott was many things when it came to his family -- overprotective, and overbearing maybe, paranoid though wasn’t a word Gordon would ever use to describe him. Annoyingly, if Scott sensed something was off, he was usually right normally much to Gordon’s dismay. 

 

“Your Scott sense is tingling?”

 

His nose wrinkled in distaste at his comment, “Don’t call it that,”

 

“Well it  _ is _ , isn’t it? I’ve got my squid sense, you’ve got your big brother sense… face it Scotty, we’ve got  _ superpowers _ .”

 

This did get a smile, and probably a roll of the eyes that he couldn’t see behind the darkness of the glasses, it was a start though. Virgil had his way of getting Scott to open up that Gordon was sure he would never understand. John just waited for Scott to go to him. Alan would never be privy to Scott’s worries and doubts. 

 

Gordon had always used jokes, they were simply the best medium for him to work in. His method was far from foolproof, but he knew if he could get just a crack of a smile from Scott, the opening up would soon follow. 

 

“A bit weird don’t you think?” Scott started, “The RPM demonstration cancelled, and we’re sent home, then we find out Five’s been hit by something?”

 

When it was put like that, Gordon couldn’t help but see the potential link. The missile was meant for altering the cloud formations just enough to produce rain over wherever it was fired. An overcast day, and no air traffic seemed like perfect conditions for a launch demonstration. Both had been confused when it had been cancelled, Marduk blaming a technical error. 

 

“Huh,” Gordon huffed.

 

“Right,” Scott muttered in agreement, “Perhaps we need to call your  _ girlfriend _ in on it.”

 

If Scott hadn’t have been piloting, Gordon would have gone for him. 

 

“She is  _ not _ \--”

 

“Sure, sure,” Scott laughed, “Gordon even  _ John _ can feel the tension between you.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“You’re a braver man than I am little brother.”

 

He knew Scott didn’t get it. For the longest time, he himself hadn’t. Sure, he’d had plenty of relationships in the past, Sandy Williams from third grade, Andy Green in high school, and probably too many others to count inbetween. With Penny, it was all different. 

 

There had been a time where he thought she loved him back, sly smiles and flirty jokes running like a two way street. He had relished the comments from his brothers about his not-so-secret love affair with the Lady Penelope. It was so worth it, just to see her cheeks that wonderful shade of pink and that smile, the one where he could tell she was trying to fight it, but was losing somewhat spectacularly. 

 

He wasn’t quite sure when it had all changed, or what had pulled the trigger. It was possible to narrow it down to around the time their father had vanished, but that was also the time Scott had brought him in officially on the Black Ops Protocol. 

It was about then that she saw him fire a gun for the first time too. 

 

“Hey,” Scott murmured, making him realise just how long he’d been quiet for, “You okay?”

 

“You were calling Penny?” He prompted, brushing off the questioning he knew would follow. 

 

Scott nodded, looking forward again as he opened the comm, “Lady Penelope, we have a situation.”

 

Gordon folded his arms as he sat back in his seat, purposefully avoiding the beam of the hologram. He wasn’t going to let Scott draw him in to the conversation, knowing it would likely be at cost to him.

 

“Scott,” She paused with a glance to him, “ _ Gordon _ .”

 

Just the way she said his name had him rolling his eyes, so prim and proper, and apparently unimpressed already with him being on the call. 

 

“I’d have thought you would still be at the RPM demonstration?”

 

“We were meant to be,” Scott confirmed, “But the demonstration itself got called off.”

 

It wasn’t often that Penny wore a look of confusion, always being in-the-know left little chance for her to not understand something. Apparently, Scott had managed to catch a look of surprise on her face.

 

“Called off?”

 

“Technical error,” Gordon contributed with a shrug, “Make of that what you will.”

 

She barely spared him a glance, no doubt still questioning just why Scott had elected to take him rather than Virgil or John, one of his more competent brothers in the field of business. 

 

Her attention was quick to return to Scott as she gave a small nod, “I agree, it sounds… odd,”

 

“Would it be any trouble for you to do some digging?”

 

Gordon hated how falsely sweet her smile was to his older brother as she straightened herself, “I’m just finishing off in New Mexico, then I’ll see what I can do for you.”

 

Scott’s grin was too charming as he nodded his thanks, “Much appreciated Lady Penelope.”

 

As the comm cut out, Gordon folded his arms, purposefully looking anywhere but at Scott. Of course, he knew what he’d done, Scott couldn’t help but flirt.

 

“Oh don’t go off on one at me,” Scott moaned, “I was just being friendly.”

 

“ _ Friendly _ ?”

 

He knew the difference between Scott’s friendly and Scott’s  _ friendly _ . It wasn’t hard to miss, if you were looking. 

 

Not that he had been looking, it was just something he had noticed. 

 

Scott sighed, shaking his head as he lifted his aviators, “Gordon, I was  _ not _ flirting with Penny,” 

 

There was a beat of silence before he added, “Not purposefully anyway.”

 

Gordon couldn’t help the snort as he continued to avoid looking at Scott. 

 

“I wouldn’t do that to you.” Scott persisted, reverting back to the childish whine they all remembered from when they had been little. 

“Come on Gordon, I know you’ve got feelings for her.”

 

Gordon huffed, still not turning back as he muttered, “Not like it matters, she  _ obviously _ thinks I’m an idiot.”

 

Scott’s eye roll could be heard before he even spoke, “I really wish I could bang your heads together, you know that?”

 

Gordon did know that. He knew exactly where his brothers stood on the whole situation. The problem was they didn’t understand the  _ whole _ situation. 

It probably didn’t help that he didn’t either. 


	5. Chapter 5

John flexed his fingers in the cast, feeling how it restricted the movement of his arm as they always had done. 

 

“It’s always my right arm,” He murmured, a pointless observation he knew, but something to fill the silence as Virgil tidied the med-bay. 

 

Virgil paused in washing his hands, turning back to John as he grabbed some paper towel. He could see how pale John was, more so than usual. It wasn’t  _ clinical _ shock, but he knew John’s brain was still processing, his body still reacting to what had happened. 

 

The sudden, unplanned, reentry probably didn’t help matters. 

 

“It’s not like you intentionally try to break it,” He smiled, sitting on the bed facing him, “At least, I hope you don’t.”

 

John snorted, wincing as he did, his arm moving to hold his ribs, “Don’t make me laugh.”

 

Virgil winced for him, bruised and broken ribs were a common occurrence out in the field, he could sympathise with the pain. 

 

“Sorry bro,” He sighed as he stood, “Why don’t you try and sleep? Might help things readjust,”

 

John shook his head, “Eos.”

 

Virgil knew what the single word meant, the worry and concern emphasized despite everything. 

 

“She’ll be fine,” He tried to assure, “Brains is working on it.”

 

His words hardly convinced himself, but John seemed too drained to argue as he shifted to lie back on the bed. Virgil reached out to dim the lights, hoping that it would be all the encouragement John needed.

 

“Five’s gone.”

 

“Five can be rebuilt, all her memory is backed up to the main server, Eos will have saved herself there, and you’re going to be okay, that’s all that matters.”

 

He knew that wasn’t the point, but it was what he had to say anyway. For all they insisted that their machines could be replaced, each of them knew how much they all meant. Grandma had likened it to a bond with a pet, the way they cared for and treated each of their ships. They were almost an extension of themselves, how they knew how they moved and reacted to the slightest change. 

 

The shock had been the same for him, when Thunderbird Two had crashed back to the Island, and for Gordon when Thunderbird Four had literally been torn in two. It was hard to process, the way it hurt simply knowing that the ships were disabled. 

 

John didn’t reply, he’d curled up on his side, closed his eyes and began taking shallow breaths. It was a slight relief that he was resting, that was what Virgil had wanted him to do after all. He knew he couldn’t simply leave him though. John hadn’t said just how much he had been thrown about in the Pod, and Virgil wasn’t entirely convinced by his insistence that he wasn’t concussed. 

 

In the end Scott made the decision for him, a firm knock on the door drawing Virgil away to leave John in peace. 

 

He’d barely shut the door behind him before Scott had asked the question, “Is he alright?” 

 

“Aside from a broken arm and some bruised ribs, he’ll be fine once he’s slept off the sickness.”

 

Scott shifted back sighing as he leant against the wall opposite the door, “Brains said they can’t work out what hit him, Alan said they’re certain it wasn’t a meteor,”

 

_ Out of the frying pan, into the fire _ , Virgil thought as he stood opposite Scott. 

 

“It’s too early to know what it was,” He shrugged, “Alan will have to go back up and get the black box from the remains, that’ll tell us what we need to know.”

 

“And what until then?” Scott muttered, “What if this was targeted?”

 

“It’s no good speculating.” Virgil insisted, not voicing that the thought had crossed his mind, “We will have to wait until we’ve got some facts.”

 

Both turned at the footsteps coming down the hall, Gordon looking between them as he sighed, “That might be sooner than you expected.”

 

*

Virgil glanced to Scott as he turned to pace half way back around the den, processing what they had been told, “Why would Murdak’s team talk to  _ you _ about it?”

 

Gordon shrugged from where he lounged back on the sofa, “You were busy fussing over John, besides,  _ you _ wanted  _ me _ to take the reins on this one.”

 

A glare passed between the pair of them, Virgil knew that they’d be arguing again if they weren’t careful. Gordon had no interest in the business, it was common knowledge that he never had. IR and swimming were the things he had chosen to focus on for his career, he didn’t see the need to add Tracy Industries to that list. 

 

“Not that it matters,” Grandma interrupted them, “they’ve told us the truth of what happened, albeit later than they should have.”

 

Virgil nodded in agreement, “We don’t have to worry about any other attacks, they said they’ve shut the program down until they find and resolve whatever it was that caused the launch.”

 

Scott sighed again as he reached the sofa and sunk down, “I guess.”

 

From the corner of his eye, Virgil saw Gordon take a breath in a way he only did when he was either swimming, or about to announce something. A shake of his head wasn’t warning enough, too subtle for Gordon to recognise as a no-go. 

 

“I’m still going to sponsor them.”

 

“ _ What _ ?” 

 

Scott shot out of his seat, every ounce of him obviously wanting to pick Gordon up and shake some sense into him. 

 

“Well, when I made a mistake or screwed up a swim, everyone still sponsored me.”

 

“That was  _ swimming _ !” Scott exclaimed, exasperated, “They hit Thunderbird Five, Gordon.”

 

Gordon shrugged, unphased by Scott’s outburst, “It was a mistake, I wanna help them fix it and do some good.”

 

Across from Virgil, Grandma nodded in agreement. When she spoke, it was clear any argument from Scott would be shut down and the conversation finished, “Your brother is right Scott, they require technology that Tracy Industries can supply and will eventually be helping others in the long run.”

 

Gordon sat up, eyes bright as he nodded quickly, “Yeah! And as they said, looking further down the line it might be a help for IR if they can get the tech to  _ stop _ the rain and redirect it elsewhere… Think of all the floods we get in typhoon season!”

 

Scott looked to Virgil, and he knew he was hoping for back up. Virgil could only shrug and try to remain impartial, “It makes sense.”

 

Giving in, Scott shook his head, “Okay. Fine. I’m going to check on John.”

 

Gordon’s grin was triumphant as Scott left and he looked to Grandma, “Thanks for the vote of confidence!” 

 

Grandma patted his shoulder, “Scott’s going to leave this whole project down to you now,” She warned, “You’ve got the reins kiddo.”

 

“F.A.B Grandma.”

 

Virgil wondered just how long it would be before Gordon was asking one of them for help. 


	6. Chapter 6

It had been two weeks since the missile had hit, and he still felt as exhausted as the day it had happened. 

 

Eos was still lost to the void, vanished from the server. The only hope for her lay in the local memory banks, if they were still intact on Thunderbird Five. 

 

He wished that he could have gone up, it was his ship, his home in the sky. It felt unfair that he couldn’t be the one to sort through the wreckage. 

 

_ There wouldn’t have been as much waiting either,  _ he thought to himself.  _ Trust a dam to burst just when Alan had been preparing to go up.  _

 

He knew it wasn’t their fault, global emergencies didn’t stop simply because they had a family emergency. The GDF were helping, but they simply didn’t have the equipment to get the job done. He was being selfish by wishing his brothers were anywhere else. 

 

Not that it changed the facts -- he still didn’t know what had happened to Eos. 

 

“You look like you could do with some company.”

 

He looked to the hologram that had appeared by his side, only half smiling as he shrugged, “Hi Penny,”

 

Her look was sympathetic, and he knew if she had have been there he would have gotten a pat on the shoulder. 

 

“How are you John?”

 

He looked to his arm, still in a blue cast decorated by Virgil as was custom whenever someone broke a limb. Two weeks ago he would have been honest, admitted that the pain in his chest was a constant and that any painkillers were more than welcome. It was still there, the constant ache, but it had lessened when he compared it to the stress of the unknown. 

 

“I’m okay,” He lied, “Thanks for asking.”

 

Penelope  _ knew _ him though. She’d gone through Oxford with him and seen him struggle with missing home and his family, of course she knew he was hurting. 

 

“You needn’t pretend with me John,”

 

Sitting back with a shrug, he sighed, “We still haven’t been able to work out what’s happened with Eos.”

 

He bit his lower lip, looking down as he admitted, “I’m worried she’s not coming back.”

 

“Eos is a smart and intelligent being,” Penelope assured him softly, “She will have found somewhere safe, it may be simply a case that it is not safe for her to emerge quite yet.”

 

John couldn’t help but snort. He knew it was rude and probably unfair when she was trying to be sympathetic. At the same time, what she had said was just so  _ wrong _ . 

 

“Computers don’t work like that.” He stated, hoping he hadn’t offended her too much. 

 

Penelope smiled, nodding slightly at the remark, “That always was more of your department rather than mine.”

 

John went to sigh, wincing at the expansion of his ribs, shaking his head he sat back, “I don’t know… Eos is a law unto herself really, there’s no knowing what she might have been thinking.”

 

Penny’s agreement was quiet, as if she knew he was still thinking. She didn’t question his silence as his eyes turned unfocused, thinking back to when he had spent all of his time alone on Thunderbird Five without a companion. 

 

Maybe she wasn’t a constant aboard the space station, her intelligence was far too great for her to be caged up like a bird, but whenever he hailed her she was there. They had spent more hours than he cared to count simply talking, deep intellectual conversation that stimulated her mind and calmed his. 

 

He was suddenly grateful for a reason not to return to the wreck of his ship. It would seem wrong to be there knowing that Eos would not be. 

 

“I don’t know what I’ll do if she’s just…  _ gone _ .”

 

“You can’t think like that,” Penelope murmured, “You need to have faith in her.”

 

He sat up gingerly and raised an eyebrow, “You think I don’t?”

 

She shrugged, her face nonchalant as she looked away from the comm, “I think you’re focusing too much on what is gone and not on what remains.”

 

Before he could protest, she tutted and sighed, “But anyway, I must be off, I take it your brothers are still off helping with the flooding?”

 

He nodded wordlessly, not mentioning her look of disappointment as she looked back to the comm,“I’ll catch Scott another time then. Do take care, John.”

 

“I’ll talk to you later Penny.” He forced a smile before the comm cut off. 

 

As soon as she was gone his smile faded to a frown. Not once in the conversation had she mentioned Gordon by name, yet she had specified that it had been Scott she had been after. It had been months since their younger brother had had anything to do with Penelope, their light relationship seemingly broken off at the flip of a switch. 

 

He couldn’t help but wonder if it were down to their older brother. 

 

After all, Gordon had been in a mood with Scott when they had returned from their meeting, and Scott  _ had _ put it down to ‘girl troubles’. 

 

He shook his head, clearing it of the thoughts. It wasn’t his place to meddle with his brothers relationships, not that he truly wanted any involvement anyway -- they were messy and confusing and just hard work in general. He’d leave their relations to them and focus on his own friendship. 

 

_ Ridley _ . He frowned looking back to the comm,  _ she’ll be wondering what happened. _

 

It only rang for a moment before she answered with that easy smile and soft look, “I was wondering when you’d get around to calling me yourself.”

 

Scratching the back of his head, he shrugged, “Sorry, I should have called sooner.”

 

She shook her head, leaning away from the comm as she bobbed up and down, floating in the zero gravity, “How are you doing?”

 

He went to start again about his worries about Eos, how he missed being in space, his aches and pains. The words caught in his throat though, and he had to take a moment to just stop and think. 

 

He couldn’t lie to Ridley. Somehow she always just  _ knew _ when his words were false. 

 

So, he brought his knees up to his chest and pursed his lips as he shook his head. She knew when he was lying, but she also understood. 


	7. Chapter 7

 

Scott yawned as he scrolled through the report from the offices, it was late and he wanted to be in bed as the rest of his brothers were. They’d only been back from the rescue for two hours before the alert had popped up on his personal comm, insisting the reports were signed and filed before the following morning. 

 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

 

Grandma would know his smile was forced, yet he smiled anyway. She had told him time and again that business reports would wait until he had slept. 

 

“I’m fine,” He insisted, sitting back with a glance to the empty mug, “I only had two coffees to keep me going.”

 

She shook her head at him, folding her arms as she perched on the corner of the desk, “You can’t burn the candle at both ends young man.”

 

He nodded, “Just tonight, I’ll take it easy tomorrow.”

 

“From what John was saying, I doubt that’ll be the case,”

 

Scott sat up, frowning. Most of the chatter over dinner had centered around the rescue and complaints of the World Council not heeding warnings from the village sooner. John had been as talkative as usual, only chipping in when directly asked a question or looked to for an answer. 

He hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary all evening. 

 

“Lady Penelope rang,” Grandma told him, filling in the gaps after a long pause, “He said she had been after  _ you _ .”

 

He shrugged, not seeing the issue, “I asked her to look in to the missile, check things out, she was probably just going to fill me in on what she’d found.”

 

Grandma nodded, and he hoped it was the end of the matter. 

 

Except, of course it wasn’t.

 

“I thought this was Gordon’s project?”

 

He sighed, tilting his head back, “Why does everyone think, just because they’re not talking, I’m trying to get with Penny?”

 

Grandma shook her head at him, “No, I never said that.”

 

Scott looked back to her, shrugging as he folded his arms, “It’s not my fault they fell out over the Black Ops.I asked her to do some digging is all-- it  _ is _ her job.”

 

It was the truth. He’d told Gordon exactly the same when he had accused him of flirting with her. Not once had the thought of getting with Penelope even crossed his mind. If asked he wouldn’t deny she was attractive, but he knew they were simply friends and never anything more. 

Especially since Gordon had made his feelings known. 

 

“Now,  _ I _ know that, and  _ you _ know that. Just consider how it comes across to your brothers.”

 

Both glanced to the comm as it bleeped with Penny’s avatar, sharing a look as Grandma tilted her head as if she were proving her point. He nodded in admission, knowing how it would look if anyone else were to walk in at that moment.

 

“I’ll keep it brief.” He promised. 

 

“And then straight to bed.” She told him turning to the door. 

 

Once the door slid shut, Scott answered the comm, “Lady Penelope,”

 

Her face was hardly apologetic as she spoke, “I’m sorry to call at such an hour, I know it’s early there,” 

 

He glanced to a clock, not sure when late had shifted to early. Perhaps Grandma was right and he did need to head off to bed. 

 

“But I have some rather distressing news.”

 

Instinct had him sitting straighter, “Go on,”

 

She sighed, reluctant to admit what she apparently knew, “I’ve already spoken to Colonel Casey, but it looks like Jupiter Industries isn’t as innocent as they made out.”

 

Scott frowned, “The Nimbus Project…”

 

“Was innocent enough,” She told him with a nod, “But a number of questionable parts have been ordered to the same factory, but were not used for the nimbus missiles.”

 

His blood ran cold as he looked to her, he had to clench his hand just to make sure he still had feeling there. 

_ John’s home _ , he told himself,  _ everyone’s home and safe _ . 

 

“Are you saying that Jupiter Industries are making  _ missiles _ ?”

 

Her nod was quick and firm, “Illegal ones at that.”

 

He was quick to stand, shaking his head as he swallowed, “Get Casey on the line, I’m going to wake Gordon up. This can’t wait.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's a day late! I hope you enjoy it!!

None of their brothers knew about the Black Ops protocol, though Gordon knew some of them probably had an inkling. 

Not that he had always known either. 

 

At least, not until Scott had told him about it against Dad’s orders. His stint in the Global Navy Force may have been brief, but he had learnt quickly and managed to put plenty of his senior comrades to shame. 

 

When Dad had been around he was allowed to do little more than train with Scott. He was the second youngest of his father’s children, no matter what he had seen and knew, Dad would never have let him risk his life.

 

Then Dad suddenly wasn’t around, and Gordon wasn’t letting Scott risk his life on his own. 

 

He wasn’t sure how he felt when he had found out Penny had been up to the secretive business with Scott without either ever telling him. He knew she was a good spy, he’d never imagined just how deep that had run though. 

 

There had never been anything to suggest it went further than Tracy Industries and International Rescue. 

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her -- he trusted her with his life. It wasn’t that she was incapable -- he knew she was capable in far more than he could ever imagine. Yet, he couldn’t help but worry because he hadn’t known and she didn’t  _ want _ him to know. 

That was what had started the first argument. 

 

Penny didn’t like him doing Black Ops. 

 

Then they had stopped talking. 

 

She had said bare minimum to him since, and he had returned the favour, stubborn Tracy son as he was.

 

Except, when he walked into Scott’s office, her hologram looked straight at him, suddenly disregarding Scott sat behind the desk in his chair.

 

“What’s the emergency?” He asked Scott, not bothering with a greeting. It was too early in the morning for pleasantries. 

 

Scott nodded to Penelope, “Penny’s been doing some digging on Jupiter Industries,”

 

He folded his arms, forced to look at her as he raised his chin in silent question.

 

“The order sheets and the parts list for the Nimbus Project don’t add up.”

 

Shrugging, he looked to Scott, “Maybe they’re just getting stuff for another project on the same order?”

 

“Using just explosives?” Penny challenged, “I highly doubt it.”

 

He knew he was stubborn, but it was clear she was more so. Conceding her point, he leant back against the desk, waiting for her to continue. 

 

“No need to be quite so condescending, Penelope,” A voice Gordon wasn’t expecting said, jolting him straight, taking him right back to the respect for his seniors that had been instilled in him at the very start of GNF.

 

He had to smile at the look of frustration she was slow to hide, noticing how her cheeks had already coloured the shade of pink he had always adored.

 

“Thank you for returning my call, Colonel,” she smiled, and he couldn’t fault her for the smoothness of her recovery. 

 

“I appreciate it’s very late for you boys,” the Colonel nodded, “What was it you were saying about the Nimbus Project, Penny?”

 

A list popped up on the screen in front of them, most of the parts Gordon could identify as required for a missile, others he recognised as much more sinister.

 

“At first it was the components required for something explosive that caught my eye,” she pointed out. “However, when I looked closer, I noticed that each component had been ordered in duplicate.”

 

Gordon shrugged, “So they’re making two missiles.”

 

Scott shook his head immediately, “They only have facilities to manufacture one missile at a time,”

 

“They didn’t tell us that,”

 

“They wouldn’t,” Scott shook his head, “Good business, never disclose your weaknesses.”

 

Gordon gave a nod of understanding, turning back to look at the list, “But the explosives were only ordered once?”

 

“And are specifically not required for the Nimbus Project, a different propulsion system is used.”

 

“A less powerful propulsion system?” Casey asked.

 

“Much less,” Scott confirmed. Gordon could see the worry lines on his face as he focused on the list in front of him and felt guilty. He had brushed it off as an accident two weeks ago, forcing Scott to let it go as he had gotten the rest of the family on side for his pet project. 

 

It was becoming clear Scott had been right, and John being home wasn’t luck, but rather a miracle. 

 

“Too bad we don’t have Eos,” He murmured, not realising he had spoken out loud until everyone was looking at him. Glancing between them, he shrugged, “She could get in to the system remotely and stake out any plans for whatever  _ this _ ,” he waved at the list, “is and give us all the answers we wanted.”

 

Penelope's face had turned sympathetic, “John said she still hadn’t made an appearance.”

 

“She will eventually,” Casey assured them, “That AI inherited the stubbornness from your mother’s side the same as the rest of you, if John knows it or not, your Uncle Lee will have put a failsafe in for something like this.”

 

They were silent for a moment, contemplating the comment. Gordon had to remind himself that Eos had not simply come in to being when she had entered their lives— she had been around much longer than any of them had imagined. 

 

“Without her we’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way,” Scott sighed, looking to Gordon.

 

“I assume as Sponsor, they’ll let you in any time you ask?”

 

Gordon shrugged, “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

 

Scott nodded, “We’ll go in and get what data we can, without Eos, I trust you can find someone that can access it for us discreetly, Colonel?”

 

“I’ll get on to it now.” She confirmed, “Meanwhile, it’s late for you boys, you should be getting to bed.”

 

Penelope hummed in agreement, “Yes, you should get some sleep after that rescue.”

 

“Yeah,” Gordon nodded, standing and stretching out his back, “I’m going back to bed.”

 

Scott didn’t miss the glance that passed between his brother and her before Penelope cut off the comm and Gordon turned to the door, slamming it slightly harder than necessary as he left.

 

“I really ought to bash their heads together,” Scott mused as he watched Gordon, earning a quiet scoff from their Aunt.

 

“Your father probably would have done so by now, but you know what your mother would have said?”

 

He smiled as he leant back in the chair, letting it recline with his weight, “What?”

 

Her smile was soft and kind as she watched him, “Let it run its course,”

 

It sounded exactly like what his mother would have said. Maybe she had died whilst they had been young, but Scott had been plenty old enough to remember her nature. 

 

“Fate will decide if it’s meant to be.” He sighed. Shaking his head he looked back to his Aunt, “Do you think I was right bringing him into this?”

 

Of course, she knew what he really meant. He’d asked her outright before, and no doubt would again. Taxing missions always left him questioning himself. 

 

“I don’t think your father or mother would have wanted you to feel you had to do this on your own,” She told him, “They would understand your choices.”

 

As always, it was enough to settle the quiet doubt that had been niggling and at the same time too much of a reminder of why he had to ask the question. 

 

“I miss them.”

 

“We all do, but you can’t dwell on what might have been — you know that.”

 

“Yeah,” He sighed, shifting upright, “I know.”

 

“It’s late,” She told him, making him glance at the clock, a reminder of how early it was.

“I don’t think anything is time sensitive at the moment, get some rest. I’ll see what I can do to divert issues away so you boys can get a break and then we’ll see what needs to be done.”

 

He forced a tired smile, “Thanks Aunt Val.”

 

“It’s what I’m here for.” She smiled before cutting the comm. 

 

He leant back in the chair again, knowing it was a fatal mistake. It was comfy, and his limbs were heavy. 

 

_ Just five minutes _ , he told himself, knowing it was a lie even as he thought it. 

  
_ Then we can start again tomorrow _ . 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SO SO SO SO SORRY I didn't update this on Thursday!!! I have no excuse I completely forgot! I hope it's worth the wait for you all! Thank you all always for reading and a special thank you to Photowizard for checking all this over for me and pointing out corrections and improvements <3

Scott knew before he went into the kitchen who was there, he’d heard Virgil stomp past the office just as he had woken. It hadn’t seemed an issue at first, only after he had thought about the early morning conversation did he realise that it was. Virgil had been opposed enough when he and Gordon had left for the day, pointing out how short staffed it left them. Since John had broken his arm, they were an extra member down. 

 

He couldn’t ignore the issue of Jupiter Industries though.

 

Rubbing his forehead he took a mug from the cupboard, raising it towards Virgil in a silent offer. Virgil raised his own mug in return, setting his fork down as he shook his head, “I’m covered, thanks.”

 

Scott nodded as he set the mug under the coffee machine, waiting until it began to pour before he started, “Gordon and I have got to go away again,”

 

Virgil raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

 

Taking his mug, Scott sat at the counter across from his brother. He didn’t want to have the conversation any more than he wanted to have an argument with Virgil. It wasn’t ideal or practical, he knew it would be a strain on them all. 

 

“We need to go back to Jupiter Industries for some more meetings.”

 

Virgil set his mug down, sitting back on his chair with a shake of his head, “Great.”

 

“Look,” Scott sighed, “I know it’s not ideal,”

 

“Not ideal?” Virgil echoed, “Scott, you’ll leave us three people down!”

 

Scott’s hands fell to the table in a plea, “Casey’s going to get us cover,”

 

He knew Virgil’s scoff wasn’t without reason, “Sure, because that always works out for us.”

 

It wasn’t that he  _ couldn’t _ let on to Virgil, he just didn’t want to draw him in to a problem that wasn’t his to worry about.

 

“Look, I’m trying here,” Scott persisted, “I don’t know what else you want me to do!”

 

“I dunno,” Virgil snapped back, “perhaps  _ asking _ instead of  _ telling _ me that you’re just going?”

 

Scott couldn’t see how that would result in any different a conversation, it would simply have prolonged the discussion and probably lead to more awkward questions he wasn’t sure how to answer. 

 

“I am  _ trying _ to make things easier,” Scott breathed, rubbing his forehead, “I don’t  _ want _ to leave you short, but there are things that I have to do.”

 

Virgil leant forward across the counter, dropping his voice dangerously low, “And they need to be done  _ now _ ? They can’t be done  _ here _ ?”

 

Scott shrugged, “I can’t just leave it, alright?” 

 

He sighed, biting his lip as he shook his head, not really wanting to give in and spill everything to Virgil. Leaning on the counter, he looked to him, “Look, if I tell you any more you’re going to know more than you want to.”

 

His brother’s glare was hard and unwavering. It wasn’t often Scott was on the receiving end of that glare, and he hated it. 

 

The tension snapped as Virgil stood from his stool, clattering his dishes as he dropped them in the sink with a loud huff. 

 

Before he left, he turned back to Scott, jabbing a finger at him as he stated, “This is on you.” before he turned and left, stomping twice as loud up the stairs as normal.

 

As arguments went he knew it could have gone worse. Any disagreement with Virgil was always hard though, he was the one that always supported him. Knowing he was on his wrong side was a stab in the gut in itself. 

 

He looked up as a file was set down in front of him. Across the counter Gordon was grinning, as if their early morning conversation hadn’t taken away an hours precious sleep. Scott raised an eyebrow at him, “What?”

 

Gordon spun the folder so it was facing Scott,“Tomorrow, we spy.”

 

He wasn’t surprised, but he wasn’t thrilled either. Sighing he sat up, glancing to the file with a shake of his head, “Virgil’s mad we’re going again.”

 

“Virgil can shove it up his ass,” Gordon snorted, “He doesn’t  _ know _ how important this is, his opinion is invalid.”

 

Sitting back in the stool, Scott sighed, “He has a point though--”

 

“No,” Gordon cut him off, dropping his voice as he leant over the counter towards Scott, “Don’t you  _ dare _ start backing out now! I’ve checked with Colonel Casey and Grandma, the skies are clear and we are doing this.”

 

Sometimes he really did regret drawing Gordon into Black Ops. Other times he knew his little brother was just the kick up the backside he needed. 

 

He could hear Alan chattering to himself on the stairs. Clearing his throat as he slid the folder off of the counter and under his arm, he nodded to Gordon.

 

“Great news!” Alan announced as he bounded into the kitchen, “Where’s John?”

 

Scott shrugged, “Still in bed, I think.”

 

Alan grinned as he looked back to the stairs, “Don’t tell him, but Kayo and I spent all night going through the wreck and we found it!” 

 

Scott looked to Gordon, shrugging as he shook his head and looked back to Alan, “Found what?”

 

Alan sighed and rolled his eyes, “We got hold of the memory core!  _ And _ it’s still in one piece!” 

 

Scott looked to Gordon again, that time for a completely different reason. He could see how Gordon’s mouth had tightened, his lips pressed in a thin line as he looked back to him. 

 

Alan had turned back towards the stairs, not noticing their glances as he called, “I’m going to go and tell him right now! Brains is already working on seeing if he can isolate Eos.”

 

Scott waited until he was gone, dropping his voice as low as he could, “With any luck tomorrow we’ll have our intelligence back on our side,”

 

Gordon nodded, “Here’s hoping she can find something more for us to go off.”

 

Scott sighed, setting down his mug, “You’d best get packed, we leave at dawn.”

  
  
  
  



End file.
